What Twisted Webs
by Bandbabe1603
Summary: AU, Antar fic. Their lives were planned out at birth for them. Too bad their hearts had different ideas. *Changed summary*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell. Would like to own Jason Behr, but don't. Okay.  
  
A/N: This is my take on the life on Antar, just before war breaks out. See how my Antar plays out. ;). I'm not very good with the title and summary thing, so if anyone else has other ideas for a title, please feel free to say whatever.

I gave the money different names in this story :D. Here they are,  
Cantarian=penny  
Kezzel=dollar  
__________________

  
She stood in white on the stone veranda of the palace, gazing over the lake that panned out in her eyesight. It was so large, you couldn't see the other side. So vast to be thought an ocean, yet not. So many secrets in it though...  
  
She shook her head slowly, holding back the tears as the wind blew softly around her. She looked at a finger of land protruding into the waters. Another woman, her hair in a two braids that encircled her head like a crown, the remaining layers hanging down. Her name was Moira, and she was this woman's best friend. A man stood behind her and you could tell they were speaking although Moira was turned away. He put his hands on her shoulders, whispered into her ear and she shrugged him off. He said one more thing and Moira began to weep, her hands over her eyes as he gazed back at her for a moment that seemed to be an eternity, then walked away.  
  
The scarf like curtain separating the ballroom and the outside billowed in the cool night wind. She looked again at the lake and the moon's reflection bouncing off it and her eyes blurred. The moon was full that night, a reminder of everything she wanted to forget.  
  
"I can see the moon and the stars in your eyes..."  
  
She shook her head at the memory, striving to forget. He was engaged now, and she couldn't think of him like that. It was then she heard the footsteps behind her.  
  
"Your highness." She whispered without turning. The footsteps stopped and she felt his warm hands upon her shoulders and her heart began to beat erratically. Her face flushed in anticipation of what couldn't and wouldn't come and she pulled away.  
  
"Elora..." He whispered. "Please turn. Please." She did as requested but didn't meet his eyes, eyes she knew by heart. The imprint of them would be imbedded inside her heart and soul forever.  
  
"Sire." She said, grabbing the ends of her scarves on her dress as she dropped a quick curtsy. He then touched his bent index finger to her chin.  
  
"You do not have to bow to me. You know I love you." His voice was raw and longing. She yanked her head away though and turned.  
  
"But I do not love you." She said in a harsh whisper.  
  
"You don't mean that."   
  
"I do."  
  
"You do love me." He said. "You do." She turned then, her will gone. She had been fighting this since his parents announced the arranged marriage 3 months earlier. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she was unwilling to let them flow.  
  
"You're right, I do. But I cannot." She growled, curling her hand into a fist as she clenched the scarves of her dress. "I will not." With a shake of her head, she rushed past him as she held her skirts up. She made it to a clearing beyond the palace before she stopped and kneeled within the brush, heavy sobs racking her body.  
  
"Elora..." A voice said. She jumped at first, then began to quickly wipe her face in an attempt to hide her emotion. Unfortunately the owner of the voice was not tricked.  
  
"Rath." She whispered. "Just go home."  
  
"Oh no, dear sister." He said, kneeling by her side. "I won't leave. Now. Tell me why you cry, what troubles you so." Her eyes flashed in frustration and anger as she met his own.  
  
"You ask me such a question when I know your heart is enduring the same, dear brother?" Her question was tipped almost with venom and he jerked away, feeling the sting as he thought back to only moments before on the lakes shore. But he didn't falter and put his arms around his twin.  
  
"Elora, you must let this go. I do love Moira, but she is engaged to be wed, and the day after next she will leave and I will not see her for a time." He squeezed her shoulder to emphasize his sympathy. "It will help. You will find another."   
  
She laughed dryly, tears still flowing. She then stopped and shook her head for a few moments before uttering more, in words less than a whisper.  
  
"Yes, I will. But will that man be able to accept the child that I carry within me?" Her brother's eyes grew at the revelation.   
  
"You are carrying Zan's child?" He asked incredulously. She rose, looking over the lake.  
  
"Like Moira, I will leave day after morrow." She said, not looking toward him. "The king will be told I found a suitor, as will the rest of Antar." She cocked her neck to the side so he could see but a profile of her wet cheeks. "Only you, mother and father know. I will raise the child alone, somewhere far. And mayhap..." She stopped, turning with a smile. "Mayhap I will see you again, dear twin."  
  
With that, she walked past him and into the forest on the way to her home. She had to get ready for the journey.  
  
____________  
  
2 days later, Rath watched as a carriage pulled away outside their home, taking his sister to a ship and forever away from him . They were a prominent family in the kingdom, a reason in which the twins were such good friends with the royal family and a reason that Rath would come to be the 2nd in command to the King. As children, they hadn't dreamed of life being like this. It was supposed to be a wonderful thing when they got older, they were supposed to be inseparable, but that damn love crap got in the way.  
  
"Cantarian for your thoughts, Rath?" A woman's voice spoke behind him and he turned to see Vilandra, the kings sister. He smiled. He did love Vilandra, but not with the love he felt for Moira. But he was to marry her, just as Zan was to marry the Princess Ava from another planet. What twisted webs they had weaved for themselves.  
  
He walked to her and enclosed her in an embrace, pecking her on the cheek as he pulled away. "More like a Kezzel." She smiled.  
  
"Why is this thought worth a hundred other thoughts?"  
  
"Because this one is so complicated."  
  
"Do tell." He smiled sadly at her as he sat down. She did the same, adjacent to him on the cream sofa of his quarters.  
  
"My sister is gone, and I shall not see her for a time." He spoke. "I will miss her."  
  
"We all will. But she's going to be married. What better arrangement for a future life?"  
  
"Vilandra..."  
  
"Rath, I fear something else is troubling you far deeper, and I feel that the circumstances of Elora's departure are far different than what the majority of us was told. But I do not press."  
  
"Of course, Vilandra." He said, stopping then. She knew it wasn't a marriage, but something else, though she didn't know what it was. "Why have you come?"  
  
"Moira is leaving. She asks for you." Vilandra said, smiling again softly. She was sad, not for the knowledge of her future husbands true love, but because of the love she could also not have.  
  
"Thank you. I will go then." He said, rising. He turned to her for a moment. "Lonnie, I..."  
  
"Give her the proper goodbye; I do not care about it." She said. He nodded.   
  
"Again, I thank you."  
  
"And I hope that you will show me the same when it comes my turn." She whispered sadly, as he hurried off. He had to catch her.

___________

A/N: My first Roswell fic, my first fic in awhile over all so please be gentle. Flames will be used to toast marshmellows. 


	2. Chapter 2

Moira waited on the veranda of the palace. Her ship would be soon to carry her away from all she'd ever known, away from everything she loved. But she would learn to love again. She would have to.  
  
"Moira." A voice said. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in. Then she turned.   
  
"Rath." He hurried to her.  
  
"I thought you didn't want to see me again. After the other night, on the lake..."  
  
"I know what I said, but not asking you to come...I would have regretted, not saying goodbye."  
  
"Moira, I swear, I'll find a way to see you again..."  
  
"There is something to happen Rath, something terrible. I saw it in my dreams last night." She whispered this, the fear in her voice growing with each word. "War is coming and it will be someone close who causes death."  
  
"Moira..." He tried to calm her but she shook it off.  
  
"It's coming, and you and Zan and Ava and Vilandra...you'll all be it's first victims. Please...I love you. Just be careful Rath. I will live with only the hope to see you again."  
  
"Moira, you are being delirious. Stop it, and do not worry. Antar has no enemy, and even if war was to come to pass, we have always been the dominant power."  
  
"Promise me you'll be careful." She said. The soft sound of a ships engine could be heard outside the palace. "Promise me that Rath."  
  
"I promise." He kissed her. "I will see you again. On everything that is holy, it will be you that I will be with in the end of this."  
  
"Moira." Vilandra spoke from behind the pillars of the veranda. "The ship is waiting."  
  
"I love you." He said. Moira's eyes met his and she nodded. With one last kiss, she whispered the same. Then she left, leaving him there alone.   
  
"I will try and be the best wife you can have, Rath." Vilandra said a few quiet moments later, stepping out from behind the pillars. She was not a kind of woman to be jealous, and she wasn't. She wanted another man, needed to be with him, but couldn't. "Until we can rightly correct our lives and be with the ones who truly hold our hearts, I will be a good wife."  
  
He turned to her and hugged her. With a soft kiss on the cheek, he whispered in her ear. "Be a good friend and a wife; that is all I ask."  
  
And with that, he departed to his chambers. After the two women that he loved most in the world had left him this day, he needed some alone time.   
__________  
  
Vilandra peeked around the palace corridors, hoping no one would see as she was to meet the mystery man in her life. No one except her knew who he was, although they respected her privacy. After all, she was the princess.  
  
"Vilandra." A soft voice beckoned her from beyond the statue in the corner. Inconspicuously, she drifted to the corner, her hand outstretched to meet his. He took it and pulled her toward him, his mouth coming down on her own instantly. She encircled her arms around his neck to hang on as she deepened the kiss, and they stayed that way for a few moments. Then they pulled away. "You're so beautiful."  
  
"Kivar..." She breathed with a smile. "Thank you. What took you so long?"  
  
"I had some...business, to attend to." He said with a small grin.  
  
"Business?" She inquired. He brushed it off with a wave of his hand.  
  
"Nothing of importance." He said, taking her hand. "Let's go."  
  
He led her out of the palace doors quietly, trying not to disturb what may be happening. Quickly, they made their way to his vehicle, then sped off without a word. Their relationship was completely secret, and it needed to stay that way.  
  
________  
  
Elora sat at the window of the small home she now occupied. It was a small village she lived in and she had already, in her two days there, met the majority of the people around her. She had explained her circumstance, of how she was with child, that the father had been killed as he tried to help fight the small resistance forming on Antar. That was a lie. There was no husband...just an illegitimate child, the result of an impossible love.   
  
They pitied her, and she felt guilty. They all seemed willing to help, but she had lied. She would live that lie, and her child would grow with that lie. The child would never know its real conception.  
  
Her hand went to her abdomen. In 3 moon cycles, the child would be born. A short time, she had scarce time to get prepared, but all the other women in the community were determined to help. Again, a weight fell on her heart. She hated to betray these people with such a story, but it was important.  
  
A light rain had begun to fall as she stared outside, matching her spirits exactly. She wondered, as she sat there, if Zan was enduring the same heartache. If he even knew she was gone...  
  
_____  
  
"Larek." Zan called. "Larek!"  
  
"I'm right here Zan, no need to shout." The man said. His hair was cut short and spiked, his eyes green. He was seen as one of the most eligible bachelors in the kingdom as very good looking indeed. But that was of no consequence to what Zan needed now.  
  
"Sorry, Larek. But I need you...could you get Elora for me? I've tried to get a hold of her at home, but I'm unable to reach her."  
  
A look passed over Larek's face. He, along with few other royal friends and family members knew of the secret relationship, although it was rumored all over the kingdom. The look was a pained one, one of reluctance.  
  
"Larek? What is it?"  
  
"She didn't tell you? No one has told you?" He asked.   
  
"Told me what?" Larek placed his arm on the shoulders of his friends' shoulder because he knew he would need comfort.  
  
"She's gone, to the Klieg quadrant. She's found a suitor, a husband." He said. Zan's face paled. "I'm sorry Zan, but..."  
  
"Could you leave, Larek?" He asked, his voice strained.   
  
"But Zan..."  
  
"Larek, I said go!" He shouted, turning away. Without a word, Larek turned and walked out quickly. Zan was left alone, feeling more than ever like he had no one. With an angry whisper, he picked up a vase and pitched against the wall in quiet fury. He sat on his bed, ready to just sleep, to relax. His thought went somewhere else. He had to talk to Rath, and quickly.  
  
_____  
  
A/N: Not terrific, I know. And short, I know. But my last semester EVER of high school just started and the teachers are bound and determined to break every senior of their senior-itis. so. Not a lot of time. Sorry.  
  
To my one reviewer: Thank you so much! I was thinking of writing like a sequel after this of Liz and them. Yes, Elora is Liz, and Moira is Maria. So hopefully, if I can get more reviews...please? :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Do you know how much it sucks to have your computer crash? I had to totally rewrite this chapter, on top of my computer being taken away for punishment purposes. Gr. So here it is. I'm working on 4, so it should be out within the next week. Oh and by the way...PLEASE R&R!!!

_________

"Kivar, I have to leave."  
  
Vilandra stood in front of his bed, slipping her day dress back on. Her hair was pinned up into a lazy bun on her head, wisps of hair hanging onto her neck. She grabbed her shoes and slipped them on, hurrying to the side of the bed to lean and kiss him.  
  
"I hate to see you go, but if you must..."  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked. He nodded with a suave smile. She smiled, then rose again, and left quickly. It was about an hour until dawn, and she had to sneak back into the palace.  
  
Kivar watched her go and chuckled to himself. She was so stupid, really. But he was beginning to fall for her, which meant this had to go quick. He couldn't go getting so involved that he couldn't do his job.  
  
He picked up a transmitter and punched one of the keys, holding it to his ear. A man answered.  
  
"Sir, we have her in our sight."  
  
"Good." He replied. "Don't let her out of your sight. We need to formulate a way to turn her against her brother and fast. I think I may just play the meant for each other in love card."  
  
"This soon, sir?"  
  
"This girl is aching to be loved, Nerato. She needs it, by someone other than her family. If we can spawn a fight..."  
  
"Right. I'll get straight on it."  
  
"Good." And with that the transmission was cut off. Kivar tossed the transmitter onto a nearby chair and leaned back onto the bed with a grin. Everything was going as planned.  
______  
  
Zan stood in front of Rath, his hands behind his back. Rath just sat, watching as Zan strode back and forth in a silent anger. He stopped and stared at the man he considered a best friend.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me she left?" He asked quietly. Rath shifted uncomfortably where he sat. He didn't enjoy being interrogated like he was a subject. He ran his hand through his jet black hair and sighed.

"Zan, I was dealing with more than you can imagine, what with Elora leaving and then Moira. I'm sorry to say, but you weren't the first priority I had."  
  
"But why didn't she tell me? Why couldn't she have..." He trailed off, not really knowing what to ask. It was obvious why she didn't tell him. How she had run from him on that last night had said everything.  
  
"She did love you Zan. She just...this guy was an escape."  
  
"Is he a good man, Rath? Will he take good care of her? That's all I need to know."  
  
Rath didn't know what to say. There was no man, only a child that would never have a father. So he just nodded.  
  
"Yes Zan. A very good man."  
  
Zan stood by the window, looking out over the lake. He closed his eyes.  
  
"Ava of Santar will arrive tomorrow."  
  
"Your wife to be?" Rath asked. Zan nodded. "Well..."  
  
"My thoughts exactly." He said. "We are to be wed in 2 moon cycles. I...it is so soon..."  
  
"Your mother doesn't mean to pour salt into existing wounds Zan. She just wishes for you to take the throne so no one can subvert the royal family."  
  
"I know that Rath." He was irritated. "It is too soon. Perhaps if I had the chance to bid a farewell to Elora..."  
  
"She's gone Zan. She's not coming back." He stood. "I'm to retreat to my chambers." Zan looked at him, forlorn and beaten, his eyes sad. Rath sighed. "Move on. Just marry and be done with it." And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind him, and walking to his own place.  
______  
  
Vilandra crept carefully into the palace's secret passageways. They had been built by the kings of the past, her ancestors, in order to create a suitable escape if something should happen. Now, they were used by people such as herself, sneaking in and out of the palace walls.  
  
She made it to her room quickly, having memorized the path long ago. She entered it quietly, but was startled to find a girl sitting on her bed.  
  
"Oh, Corcia. You scared me." She smiled. "What are you doing here?" Corcia shrugged, and a smile came onto her face.  
  
"Never mind what I'm doing here. You were with him, weren't you?" She asked coyly. When Vilandra blushed, it was all the response Corcia needed. She laughed and leaned back. "I don't blame you. He is unbelievably good looking. Both of your loves are unbelievably good looking."

Vilandra's bright smile faded a bit. "Yes...he is quite adorable. Rath, I mean." Corcia flushed, realizing her mistake.  
  
"Oh Vilandra...I'm sorry...I just..."  
  
"I know, you didn't...no one understands that..." She took a deep breath. "You know, I'm in too good of a mood to let this bring me down."

"Maybe you should tell Rath though. He seems understanding. And if Moira was around..."  
  
Vilandra cut her off. "Just...Let's talk about tomorrow nights gala."  
  
Corcia laughed and Vilandra sat at her small vanity. The two had been friends since the days of childhood, playing with Moira and Elora alike. Corcia, however, was a relative, a cousin and she and Vilandra were closer than most believed.  
  
"What is there to speak of?" Corcia asked with a grin.  
  
"Well, how about you borrowing my dress that you absolutely adore? I'm sure Atar would just die for it." Corcia's grin faded.  
  
"Oh...Atar. He...he is not been feeling well. He'll be absent." She said, then paused before adding, "I may be absent as well."  
  
"Oh Corcia!" She shrieked, rushing to her cousin. "No. The princess is arriving tomorrow. You must meet her."  
  
"I can meet her all the same at a later date." Corcia spoke sharply and immediately regretted it as Vilandra's eyebrows furrowed together.  
  
"Well. Okay." She stood. "You're obviously in a distressed mood. I'll...I'm going to go find Rath. Talk to him as you said. I'll see you in time." She said, leaving without another word. Corcia moved to object but stopped as she stood. Her eyes welled with tears. Her life was a wreck, within the few days that it had been amazing. As she bent her head to let her tears fall silently, a figure made it's way behind her.  
  
"Very good Corcia...very good." His deep voice surrounded her and she closed her eyes to not see what she had done. His finger traced her jaw line, eventually reaching her shoulders and he turned her around.  
  
"You have what you want; I did as you said, now do as you said." She said, her voice but a whisper. Her eyes were still closed, yet tears seeped out of them and he wiped one away.  
  
"Ah, let's think on that...no." He said. So calmly, yet final. She let out a low pained cry and fell on the bed. The man, however, chuckled.  
  
"But you promised...and he..." Corcia said, shaking her head. "I want him back."  
  
"I really think you're in no position to demand such things." The man said, looking down at her. "Don't you realize it, silly girl? Your young husband wasn't taken randomly by Kivar. He was chosen."   
  
"Damn you Nerato." She spat. He paid her no heed and continued.  
  
"You are a blood relative to the princess. And she herself has confided in Kivar, telling him of how close you two are. That she tells you everything." He said, a sadistic smile twisting on his face. "Really, it must be the outrageous looks that she possesses that draws Kivar to her because, really, she's not that bright."  
  
"She is a very smart person, Nerato; you underestimate her. Her judgment is merely clouded by her love for him."   
  
"Correct perhaps. You're awfully defensive of her; remember, she is the reason for your husband to be missing. See, she'll tell you everything she knows, everything she wants. You, in turn, will tell us. When Kivar is satisfied, your husband may be returned." He grinned. "Or not."  
  
"Bastard."  
  
"Ooh, name calling Corcia. And her highness speaks oh so highly." He jeered. "I must be going. But first..."  
  
Without so much of another warning, Nerato pulled her head up and pushed his lips on hers for a few moments, his tongue snaking in her mouth before she pulled away in disgust. He just laughed.   
  
"Hmm...now I understand why he wants back so much. So...sweet." He said.  
  
"You'll burn for this."   
  
"Not as Kivar's right hand man, I won't. I will be second in command to the Antarian world. This rebellion is nearing, sweet naive dear. Be prepared." And with his last words, he left as stealthy as he had come, leaving Corcia alone in the dark room.   
  
_______  
  
"Elora, would you like a montari?" Elora looked up at the voice, her mind clearing. She had been just dozing, daydreaming as it may be. She smiled at the woman in front of her.  
  
"No thank you Roscea." She spoke. Roscea smiled back and sat down with a shrug, biting into the fruit as she closed her eyes.  
  
"So." Roscea spoke. "Are you ready?" Elora ran her fingers along her bloated belly. She smiled and nodded.  
  
"I think I am." She said. Roscea grinned.  
  
"Have you thought of any names?" Elora shrugged.  
  
"A few." She said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Like, if it's a female, I like the name Elysia or Calentia."  
  
"Those are beautiful names."  
  
"And if it's male, there's one name that's stuck for me. Zephirus."  
  
"Oh, that's a strong name for a young boy." Roscea said with a nod.  
  
"It's my brothers middle name; my fathers and grandfathers first. It's a strong one." She said. "And there is a feeling that grows inside of me, that the child will be a male." She frowned. "That he will face life and it's many hardships without me by his side. And that feeling terrifies me."  
  
_________  
  
Rath laid on his chamber bed, his head to the ceiling. Zan had deserved truth from him, but he had lied to prevent betrayal of his sister. What a choice to make, he thought. Your best friend, your king or your sister.  
  
A knock came at his door and he let his eyes drift to the door, then look back at the ceiling. "Come in."  
  
Vilandra entered. He quickly sat up, and looked at her. "Lonnie? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing..." She began, but her eyes had begun to swell with tears. She knew he would understand because he was that good of a friend, because he was that close to her. But she couldn't help feeling apprehensive about it. "Well..."  
  
"Lonnie..." He began. He roped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, and she began to cry. She hated it too, because she was never one of those girls who wept at every little thing. Now it seemed that tears were all she had left.  
  
"I just...please don't hate me."  
  
"Vilandra." He said sternly. "I could never hate you. Ever. Nothing you ever do will make me hate you, don't you understand?" She looked up into his eyes, a feeling of uneasiness coming over her as if it were a foreboding message. But she ignored and shook her head.  
  
"I'm...I'm in love." She said softly. Rath smiled quizzically.  
  
"That's wonderful Lonnie. Why would you think that I would hate you for that?" She took a deep breath.  
  
"It's just that...Rath, we're to be married."  
  
"Yes, I know." A slight smile appeared on his face, but then he turned serious. "Vilandra, if Moira were still here, I would expect you to understand that I would still want to see her, and that I would. I treat you how I want you to treat me; that's what's so wrong about us being married. I care for you as a sister; this marriage...I truly don't have an idea of how we will deal with it, but we'll do so when the time comes." He took a breath and pulled her close. "Until then, I only want you to be happy, and if this man does that...then go be happy."  
  



End file.
